Something's Got A Hold On Me
by Noa-Pearl
Summary: Exotic dancer Catherine Flynn used to work at the French Palace, earning good money for her and her boyfriend Eddie to live. Unfortunately for Catherine, Eddie turns out to be not so trustworthy as she had hoped him to be. Read inside for the rest.
1. Nothing Like She Used To Be

**_Something's Got A Hold On Me. _**

_Summary: Exotic dancer Catherine Flynn used to work at the French Palace, earning good money for her and her boyfriend Eddie to live. Unfortunately for Catherine, Eddie turns out to be not so trustworthy as she had hoped him to be. He makes her work in another club, The Pussycat, where she turns out to work for money she's not allowed to spend herself. While Eddie spends her money and treads her like his slave, Catherine slowly turns into a insecure, scared and sad prostitute instead of the confident dancer she used to be. How the hell will Catherine be able to turn out to be the woman we all know today?  
Rating: M. Drugs, sex, prostitution.. Need I say more?  
Spoilers: None.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even the name The Pussycat.  
Note: Hi folks, here's a new little something. I recently started watching Matrioshki 2, a sequel on Matrioshki 1, a show about prostitution set in Antwerp, Belgium and other countries like Thailand and Russia. It seems pretty realistic, and it's producers have been doing research for 2 years before they started to film Matrioshki 2. I would really recommend you all to watch it, it's quite shocking and interesting at the same time. Anyway, I came up with this idea while watching. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it! xx. _

**Chapter 1: Nothing Like She Used To Be.**

"I'm tired, Eddie. I've been working here since forever Ed, I can't do that! This is not what I want and this is not how I want to earn my money. I'm not a whore!" Catherine's blue eyes were filled with rage and her eyes were fixated on the man in front of her. Eddie, however, didn't seem to be touched by her words at all. Being her boyfriend, Catherine would expect him to be unhappy about her dancing half-naked. Instead, he wanted her to now sell herself for sex as well. Something she wasn't planning on doing. "Cath, baby, listen.. I'm trying to break through in the music business and I need money for it. You know that, honey." "Oh, don't you try to sweet talk me, mister. You don't earn shit! You use my money to do everything you want. I'm really doubting that breakthrough of yours." Eddie knew she was angry. He also knew that she was only standing up to him like this because she'd just had her fix and wasn't scared or insecure anymore. He simply laughed at her and said: "Get your ass on that stage, Catherine. We'll talk about it later, but either way, this is your last night here at the French Palace."

Catherine watched Eddie walk away and let her head fall against the wall, closing her eyes in the process. She didn't know why she wasn't able to walk away from Eddie. He used her, hit her… Why was she spending all her money on him and drugs instead of saving money herself and quit dancing in a bit. She'd loved Eddie when she'd met him for the first time. He was a bad guy, and she'd known it. But he had been sweet to her, told her he loved her. She felt good, being around him, knowing people would look up to them as they looked gorgeous together. But as soon as he'd got her to use cocaïne, things had gone wrong. Not only did Eddie become violent after using any kind of drugs, her personality had changed, and not for the better. Catherine knew she could get back in school, become someone her future child could look up to. She heard herself being announced on the stage, and started making her way to the stage. She started her routine as usual, doing the same thing she did every night. The only difference was though, that she was making up a plan in her head. She would grab all the money she could get that night. She would grab her bags, get in a bus and leave. Leave Las Vegas. Leave Eddie. Leave The French Palace. She would leave everything, and start a new life. That was what she was going to do.

She knew Eddie would come to her dressing room in ten minutes or so. She had to be quick. She thanked herself for being the neat and tidy person she was as she had all the stuff she needed in one bag. Instead of putting her tips in the jar to share with her friends, she took them all and threw them in her purse. She kicked off her heels and got out of her skirt, and put on a pair of jeans and her flip flops. She then put on her leather jacket. While she threw some make-up in her bag, she looked around her room, knowing she wouldn't forget anything special; everything she needed was in her big bag and little purse. She silently said her goodbyes to her room and the Palace before grabbing her stuff and walking into the direction of the back doors. She looked around like a deer afraid of being shot. As soon as she'd exited the building, Catherine started to run. She looked behind her, afraid of being followed by Eddie. Unfortunately for her, she bumped into someone on her way to the bus station. She dropped her purse, and while she bend down to quickly grab everything again she said: "I'm sorry, sir, I'm in a hurry, I didn't look." "In a hurry for what?" She recognized the voice immediately and she knew she was screwed. She slowly looked up and before seeing Eddie she already felt his hand burning in her cheek.

"Fuck," she cursed, knowing she was screwed now. "Where the hell were you in a hurry for," Eddie hissed. He grabbed her arm, and Catherine could feel she would have a bruise in a few hours. She couldn't keep her voice normal as she said: "I… I just.. I wanted to go.. Home. I didn't want to.." "Oh, stop talking. Your lying through your teeth and you know it. I can tell you were trying to run away and I can tell you, if you'll ever do that again I'll swear to God you'll get more than just a red cheek." He took her arm and lead her to his car. Catherine wanted to cry, but she didn't want to do that in front of Eddie. He almost threw her in his car, and as soon as he was in, he locked the doors and said: "Why are you trying to run away from me, Catherine? You know I love you, I would never want to hurt you." It was ironic how Eddie's mood could change within seconds. Catherine wanted to yell and tell him he hurt her too much, but Eddie didn't even let her answer. He lightly brushed her cheek on the place his hand had been a few minutes earlier. "I'm sorry for hitting you. I just… I want us to earn as much money as possible. As soon as my career gets off the ground, I'll start earning a lot of money and then you can quit working immediately, maybe sooner if we can save a lot. You'll be earning a lot more in the Pussycat, you know that. We'll have a lot more savings then." Catherine didn't want to be weak. The kick the cocaïne had given her was finishing slowly and instead of being the fiercely, secure woman she was on cocaïne, she looked like a little bird that was completely lost. Tears started falling down her face as she said: "I'm not a whore, Eddie. I'll… I'll quit the coke, then we'll have more money and I can stay at the Palace. Please, Ed.. I don't want to leave that place." _  
_  
Eddie looked at the woman in front of him. She was nothing like the woman he'd fallen in love with. She was scared, insecure, tired and sad. When he'd seen her dance for the first time, she had been gorgeous. Her long reddish-blonde hair, dancing around her shoulders, her big blue eyes showing signs of both satisfaction and arrogance, a body to die for.. He knew he was the one who'd gotten her in touch with the cocaïne. She'd changed completely after that. He knew it was his fault. Yet, he didn't seem to feel guilty at all. He needed her. He needed her money. And he still loved having sex with her; she was an animal in bed. But he didn't love her anymore. Not like he did before. He only needed her. And that was why he was determined to make her earn more money. Whether she liked it or not.

**End of chapter 1. I hope you all liked it, please let me know what you think of it. xx. **


	2. Such A Lovely Place

_Note: Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Unfortunately no reviews, but I do hope that there are some people liking this story so far. Enjoy. xx._

**Chapter 2: Such A Lovely Place.**

The Pussycat was located in the far south of Las Vegas, not too far away from the desert. Catherine understood immediately why. There didn't seem to be a thing in the club that was actually legal, and it scared Catherine that she was supposed to work there. And even live there. Eddie had convinced her that living above the Pussycat would be a lot easier for her, and therefore she was knowing sharing a room with two other girls. One only spoke Russian, Aniya, and the other girl was from some other place in Europe, Eva, but she did speak English. It was ironic that every girl in that club used at least one kind of drug. Catherine knew she was the only one addicted to something as heavy as cocaïne. Her dull eyes were staring around the room that was now her home while she sat on her bed. She then looked at her suitcase; a big, pink one on wheels. Funny how her entire life fitted into that one big suitcase. She felt her body ache and Catherine knew she wanted a fix. That she needed one. She grabbed her purse and took out the white powder that was both her best friend and her biggest enemy. She fixed the line with a little carton paper that was in her bag as well on the table next to her bed. Catherine knew she wouldn't be able to think straight while on cocaïne; but then again, she wasn't able to do that without it either. Her hands were shaking when she brought one of them to her nose and the other one to the table. She knew it would help her through her shift, that would start in less than twenty minutes. She also knew the cocaïne would not help her fix her problems. But at this point, Catherine stopped caring; she didn't have a clue of how to get out of her misery anyway.

* * *

Eddie was proud when he looked onto the stage; Catherine was the best dancer on that stage, by far. There were five girls up there on the same time, but Eddie was positive he would be able to give Catherine her own show in a few days. Her gorgeous body swayed around the pole as if it was a natural gift. Her long hair looked golden in the lights that were shining on her and her skanky outfit made Eddie's arousal grow every second. Eddie knew she was high; if Catherine had been thinking straight he knew she would've never set a foot on the stage. But she was addicted to the cocaïne as he was to money. The men in The Pussycat were obviously affected by Catherine's appearance on the stage; he could tell several of them were almost coming right there while watching her. He knew he couldn't let Catherine go with them yet; she wasn't ready for that. That was his goal eventually though; it would let him earn lots of money. He knew he would be able to get her to go with men eventually; it just needed some time. As long as he kept getting her her cocaïne, he knew she wouldn't complain. As long as he did the right things on the right time.

Catherine's routine hadn't changed much from what she did in the French Palace; it did feel different though. It felt weird to dance without having her friends around. She seemed to be the only native American in the club –well, at least the only native American dancing,- and the other girls didn't seem to be interested in her at all. Her confidence was still high and she wasn't bothered by it. For now. When she came backstage, she saw Eddie waiting for her. His appearance still made Catherine feel a little weak inside; he was good looking. She hated him for what he could do to her, but she couldn't stop loving him. Eddie was smiling at her and walked up to her as he said: "You did great, babe." He then kissed her. Not one of those kisses he gave her to quickly please her. It was a real kiss. Catherine hated it that Eddie was able to make her knees go weak and feel like a sixteen year old. But he could. "Thank you. I'm on break now, right?" "You are babe. I'll come get you again in an hour."

Catherine walked up to her room, which was empty when she walked in. She sat down on her bed with her hand and back against the wall, closed her eyes and tried to think clear. This was not what she wanted; this was not what she needed. The drugs prevented her from thinking straight though; Catherine knew she had to quit. But how?

* * *

"Ed, this guys here like to see that gorgeous redhead of yours." The bartender, Frank, cocked his head into the direction of four men, standing with their drinks at the bar. Eddie looked at the men; they all seemed to be in their mid-twenties. They were not too handsome, but not ugly either. Eddie raised his eyebrow and said: "All together at the same time? I already told you Cath's not ready for any of those activities yet, so I can't imagine why you think I'll let four men get their way with her." Frank raised his eyebrows and said: "I meant that they'd like to arrange a meeting with Catherine. For their friend, over there. A birthday present." Frank pointed to another man, who was standing a bit behind his friends. He looked rather shy, and somewhat embarrassed for being in a strip club. It was obviously not his idea to get closer to Catherine. Eddie shrugged and said: "Tell them she'll do a lap dance. Put fifteen percent extra on the normal price. Tell the guy to come up. I'll take care of Cath."

While Frank walked back to the group of guys, Eddie walked up again to Catherine's room. He knew she was supposed to have her break now, but Eddie was positive she wouldn't say no. Money was her drive; she wanted money to get out of this place, and Eddie knew it. He also knew that Catherine was oblivious to the fact that she would never get her money; that was something he'd like to keep that way for a while.

* * *

Catherine looked at the face of the guy walking into the room. There were several special rooms above the Pussycat, that were not used as bedrooms for the girls, but were dressed up nice. It didn't take Catherine long to realize what was supposed to happen in these rooms. Eddie had assured her that all she needed to do was give the guy a lap dance. Little talking, little smiling… No longer than thirty minutes. Now that Catherine saw the guy's face though, she felt embarrassed. He seemed oblivious to what was supposed to happen in the room. He had a blush on his face and he tried too hard to not look at the skimpy outfit Catherine was wearing. Catherine tried to get into her role again and smiled at him as she said: "Hi handsome. So, I understood you'd like to get a nice birthday present." She walked up to him, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor as she saw the guy's face turn into an even deeper shade of red as he answered: "Well, uhm, no.. Actually, my friends set this up. I'm.. I'm not really into these kind of.. Things." "You're not into these things, huh." Catherine walked up to him, planning on sitting down on his lap, but as soon as the man realized what she was doing, he got up. Catherine was taken aback by his reaction and said, probably with a little bit too much disappointment in her voice: "You really don't like me, don't you?" "No, no, no, I do! In fact, I think you're a very beautiful woman. I just… I don't really like this. Using.. You. I don't want that." Catherine smiled at the guy; he seemed so sweet and so genuine affected by the fact that she was doing this job. He didn't want sex, she could tell. She cocked her head a bit to the side, still fascinated by the man in front of her, before she asked: "What is your name?" The man gave her a hand as he said: "I'm Gil. Gil Grissom."

_Let me know what you think of it ;-). xx._


	3. You're Everything I Need and More

_Note: Hello there, readers. Before I'm going to give you my lame excuses for not updating this, I'd like to apologize for it, haha! I know it's been long and I'm sorry. I'm definitely planning on updating this story more often, especially now that **At First Sight** is coming to and end. I wanted to write a bit more then one chapter before updating so I could at least give you guys some more in a couple of days, but after more than a year, I figured I owed you guys an update as quick as possible, haha! I hope you like it :). X_

**Chapter 3: You're everything I need and more. **

"So, Gil Grissom… Your friends brought you here for your birthday, but you really don't seem to like this that much." Gil shrugged. If he was honest to himself, he actually liked it. The woman in front of him was probably the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. But he didn't want to use a woman. And no matter how beautiful the one in front of him was, she looked sad. Lost. "I don't like these kind of places. I… I guess I'm not supposed to say this, but I always wonder how you women can do this job. I.. I couldn't do it." Catherine could tell he wasn't trying to be rude. He seemed genuine surprised. Catherine shrugged and said: "It pays. I… I just need money. I need to save money, and when I have enough, I can go back and study again. I can't afford it right now." "What do you want to study?" It surprised Catherine how easy she could talk to the guy. "Something with biology, and science. I'm not as dumb as I look." "I would've never defied you as dumb."

Catherine smiled. There was silence for a while, until Catherine said: "Are you sure I can't help you.. With anything?" Gil scratched his head and said: "No, thank you. But… Well.. Maybe, if you want to.. I'm a science student. Maybe I.. Well, I can help you to study some things. If you're interested, of course." Both of them knew that there was no actual reason for Catherine to say yes. But there was something about the guy in front of her that she liked, a lot. That's why she said: "You know, I'd actually like that. I.. I think it might be useful." Gil nodded, and he hoped he could hide his enthusiasm. He grabbed a piece of paper out of his pocket and said: "You have a pen?" Catherine nodded, and handed it over. Gil scrabbled some numbers on the paper and, before giving it to her, he said: "Call me. Anytime." Catherine smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

Their thirty minutes ended a lot quicker than both of them probably wanted. Catherine was touched when she saw Gil pay almost double of what he was supposed to pay. She knew money wouldn't make her happy. But apparently, Gil understood she needed money to get out of the place. His gesture was more than greatly appreciated. Catherine was amazed by Gil's stories about his job as a criminalist in the Las Vegas crime lab. She was surprised how easy it was to talk to him, though she had to admit they'd mainly been talking about him and not about her. After Gil had left, Catherine sat down on the bed, fingering the piece of paper she was holding in her hand. Gil Grissom. He didn't seem to be the kind of man she would fall for. No, Catherine Flynn was the kind of woman who fell for the bad guys. Guys like Eddie. A loud sigh escaped from Catherine's lips. She needed to earn money. Money, money, money. To get out of the place she was in right now. And become the woman she wanted to be.

Gil felt someone watching him when he walked down the stairs. He tried not to look, and instead walked into the direction of his friends, ready to grab his coat and leave. He was hoping Catherine would call him soon though. There was something about her that caught his attention. Gil could tell she wasn't happy. And he wanted to try to help her be as happy as possible.

As soon as Eddie saw the guy that had been upstairs with Catherine minutes ago leave, he got out of his seat at the bar and walked up the stairs. He saw Catherine laying on the bed, eyes closed. "Cath?" Catherine got up and smiled at Eddie. She knew it was fake. She just hoped Eddie wouldn't notice. "Everything went all right?" "Yes, it did. Nice guy. Was fine." Eddie nodded. He didn't completely trust the situation though. Catherine seemed quite relaxed, something he hadn't guessed. But, if he was honest, Eddie didn't really care. He held out his hand in front of her face, causing a puzzling look to appear on Catherine's face. "Uuhm.. Ed… What are you doing?" "Catherine, give me the money." Catherine eye's widened. "Excuse me? This is my money." An hysteric laugh escaped from Eddie's lips before he said: "Nothing here is yours, Catherine. We're in this together, remember? You'll earn money, I'll buy your stuff."

Catherine shook her head. "No, no, no, no, Eddie. I earned this. This is mine. The tips, this… it's mine." Eddie raised his eyebrows while he started to get pissed. "You give me that damn money right now, Catherine. I mean it." '

"No!" Catherine wanted to get up of her bed and walk away, but the slap in her face hit her quicker than she'd even seen it coming. She bit her lip when she felt the pain on her cheek. "Eddie, please.. Can't we just discuss it, I.." Catherine couldn't finish her sentence. He hit her again, now on one of the healing parts near her eye. A little scream escaped from her lips while she reached into her pockets and grabbed the money. She threw the money to Eddie, losing over six hundred dollars. Eddie bended, grabbing the money while he hissed "Bitch," and walked away as quickly as he could. As soon as Catherine heard the door close, tears started escaping from her eyes. She hit the pillow near her head with her fist while she was cursing. She needed to get out. But how the hell was she supposed to do that?

Eddie took her to another room later that night, apologizing multiple times for his behavior from earlier that evening. Catherine hated that he was able to make her actually feel sad. She missed the Eddie from a few years ago. The man she had fallen in love with. He was taking a shower now, allowing her to spend some time alone and relax. Catherine knew she wasn't able to go anywhere though; he'd been smart enough to lock the door. She sighed as she grabbed the little piece of paper in her pocket with the numbers on it. There was no one who could help her out of her mess. Her drug addiction was perhaps the biggest problem of all. She was trying to stay clean, use nothing, but she knew that when Eddie would find out about that, he'd give her a hell of a hard time; he would know she'd be planning something. The piece of paper in her pocket was the only opportunity of help she actually had. But how much help could a stranger offer her? Even if it seemed a somewhat perfect stranger.

When Catherine heard the shower stopped running, she quickly folded up the piece of paper, trying to remember every single number on it, before placing it in one of her shoes next to her bed. She put it as close to the toe as possible, knowing Eddie would never, ever suspect a shoe to hold something that may help her.

She pretended to read a magazine when Eddie got out of the bathroom, his hair still wet and still some drips left on his body. In only his boxers he walked to the bed, dropping himself next to Catherine before turning to her. He slid his hand to her thigh, and Catherine wondered what to do. If she would stop him, he would know something was up. She wanted to pretend everything was as usual. That was why he let her do his thing, trying to get her mind off of it and just hoped it would be over soon. "I love you baby, you know that right?"

The sweetness dripped off of Eddie's voice, and it almost gave her chills. She instead nodded and was surprised she could utter back: "I love you too," before she allowed his lips to touch hers. She closed her eyes as Eddie started removing her top and shorts. She had loved Eddie. At this point though, she wished he was gone. She wished she'd never met him.

Nothing about their lovemaking was sweet. He trusted into her hard, causing her to moan slightly. Catherine didn't love Eddie anymore. But God, he was good when it came to sex the way they used to do so. Harsh, rough… While moving with the man on top of her though, her eyes stayed closed. Behind her eyelids, there was another man. Behind her eyelids, she was seeing Gil Grissom.

_Note: Hope it didn't disappoint, and I'm gonna do my best to get up another chapter soon! X_


	4. Just a Little Bit More To Get Me Through

****_Note: Hi guys, here's the 4th chapter! X_

**Chapter 4: Just a little bit more to get me through this.**

Two days and four hours. Two long days and four extremely awful hours it had been. She'd quit the coke. Or at least she was trying. It was tough. Not only was it a hard thing to hide from Eddie, it was both emotionally and physically tough as well. She was itchy all the time, to a point in which she almost opened up her skin. Her face was pale and she knew she looked ill. Tons of make-up couldn't hide that.

She was supposed to be dancing in a few minutes. It was the first time Catherine felt she wasn't able to do it. She felt sad, ugly, upset and sick. "Cath, you're up."

It was usually Eddie who came up to her to tell her so, but now, it was a young guy she knew was working behind the bar most of the team. "Eddie's not here?"

The guy shrugged and said: "I'm sorry," before walking away again. Catherine sighed, knowing she had to get up and do her thing. Her song started to play and she walked up, reaching the pole as quick as she could so it could give her some help in holding herself up.

She tipped her head back as she threw her legs high onto the pole, glad she had the strength to swirl down in style. She opened her eyes as she got up again, looking in the crowd as she walked up to them, moving seductively as the first few dollars were given to her. She moved as her eyes suddenly rested on a pair of blue eyes in the back of the crowd. The guy was there again. Gil Grissom was there.

* * *

Gil Grissom was aware of the redhead spotting him, her eyes resting on him for a few seconds before she turned around again. Gil wasn't sure why he was back again in this –in his opinion,- utterly disgusting place. Or at least, that's what he was trying to tell himself. He knew perfectly fine why he had returned to the Pussycat. Not because he'd enjoyed the half-naked, dancing woman that much or because the please had such a nice ambiance… He was back for her. He followed every move the redhead made on the stage, focusing his eyes on hers every moment he could. Her routine ended too fast to his liking and he kept his eyes on the stage, hoping she'd come back on it. But she didn't.

Catherine rushed backstage, getting rid of the short, tight, shorts she was wearing as she pulled on her jeans. The guy in the crowd was intriguing her and she wanted to see him. She took a glance in the mirror, and unfortunately, she knew she looked horrible. It had been a long time since she was as pale as now. She as sweaty as hell and she was still breathing heavily, despite not being tired of her routine anymore. Her body was missing the drugs and it drove her insane. The man at the table however interested her so much. She rushed her way back into the bar, praying to not run into Eddie or any of his buddies.

She was pleased when she spotted the guy in the back, alone, sitting at a small table. Catherine looked around briefly, hoping no one would pay attention to her, before making her way over. "Gil Grissom's back in this dark hole…. Never expected to see you back in here voluntarily."

He smiled. Gil was surprised how the woman in front of him didn't make him feel uncomfortable, or awkward. The way he normally felt around women. "Yeah, I just figured you might wanted to talk to a… Well, other kind of person."

She smiled. "I do… Just don't have a lot of time to do so."

"I figured… Are you okay? You look… No offence, 'cause you're still beautiful… But you look a bit ill." Gil knew from the moment the redhead had stepped next to his table, that there was something wrong. He guessed drugs.

Catherine sighed, slightly irritated. Apparently, it wasn't that easy to hide. Her voice sounded slightly panicked as she said: "I… I quit using… Stuff. But it's hard to do so in this place and I'm not getting any help…"

"Then why don't you leave? Go see a doctor, or something?"

Catherine sighed. "I can't just leave…" She looked around as she spotted Eddie near the bar, knowing she would be screwed if she talked any longer to Gil. He was about to open his mouth as she said: "Okay, Gil, listen… You either have to leave or let me give you a private dance backstage. I can't keep on talking like this…"

Gil was surprised with the sudden change of behavior as he saw a man walking towards Catherine, not looking to happy. He got up and said: "Okay… We'll go backstage then."

Right as the two turned to move backstage, Eddie appeared behind them and said: "Cath, what's going on?"

Catherine plastered a smile on her face as Eddie grabbed her ass and pulled her closer to kiss him. It wasn't out of affection; he just wanted to show the guy next to Catherine she was taken. Catherine prayed he wouldn't notice the things Gil had just noticed as she said: "He wants a private dance…"

Eddie eyed the man suspiciously for a bit. He looked… Normal. A little… Geeky, perhaps. Not someone he would ever hang out with, that was for sure. He nodded as he blew out some smoke and said: "Fifteen minutes. No longer."

Catherine nodded and turned around, mentioning for Gil to follow her, who looked surprised.

She didn't say a word to him until they were alone in a dim lit room, where they both sat down on the bed as Catherine said: "You don't want that dance? I… I don't mean to be rude, but you have to pay for it… Eddie's going to freak out if you don't. I'll pay you back, I promise."

Gil listened to the woman's rant and said: "It's okay, don't worry about that… I'm… I'm just worried about you."

Catherine chuckled, irony written all over her face as she said: "How can you possibly be worried about someone you don't even know?"

He shrugged. "Can't help it. I just feel… Well, never mind. Just tell me… Who's Eddie? And why can't you just leave…"

She sighed heavily, thinking about the stranger in front of her to whom she was almost confessing the biggest mistakes of her messy life. Why did she even trust him? "Eddie's… You just met Eddie. He's my boyfriend… And the one who got me here… Who got me addicted to cocaïne… Who's taking all my money…"

"So why is he your boyfriend?"

Catherine shrugged and said: "You know, it's difficult to explain… And you're gonna think I'm stupid anyway."

Gil surprised himself and Catherine when he grabbed her hand and softly said: "I'd never think you're stupid… I just want to help you."

Her eyes started to water. She was touched by the words he spoke, and even more by the look on his face. He looked so honest, so pure. "I'm a mess, Gil… I doubt you could."

"Try me."

"Fifteen minutes aren't long enough to tell you all the shitty details… But I'll give you a short version…. I didn't work here until a while ago. I used to work at The French Palace… You know that place?"

Gil nodded, remembering that place from more than one cases he'd worked on. It seemed like heaven though in comparison to the hell he was currently visiting.

"Okay.. Well… Things there were.. Pretty good. I was my own boss, only did what I wanted. And then I met Ed. Things were great at first… He was great. And then the cocaïne came… He let me try it, once. That once became twice, and then it became a habit.. A habit that took place more than once a day. I wanted to quit, he didn't want me to. I moved in with him so we had more money… Most of it went to the drugs. And… Then he took me here. He wants me to work here… He wants me to give my money to him… He wants me to be a freakin' prostitute. I want my old life back, but I just can't. I don't know… I don't know how I even ended up here. I used to do my own thing… I used to be strong, independent. Those shitty drugs ruined everything."

Tears were falling down her face now and Gil wasn't sure what to do now. His hand was still on hers as he said: "You… You said you'd quit the drugs."

She sniffed loudly, trying to hold back the tears as she said: "I did.. Still do… But it has been two days and it's so hard… My body's protesting.. And if Eddie knew this.. He'd… Well, I'd just be screwed."

The woman in front of him broke Gil's heart. She was beautiful, seemed smart and seemed to be a good person. He felt sorry for her, for the road her life had taken. He bit his lip before he said: "If you want to, I'll help you."

Catherine looked away. It was sweet of him to say that. But it was impossible. "That's really sweet… But how can you possibly do that? Eddie's not going to let me walk out of this place, hell, he'd rather kill me then let me leave…"

It saddened Gil that Catherine's last remark was a serious one. He already hated that Eddie guy without even knowing him. Treating women like that was unacceptable.

Their eyes connected again and Gil knew he would help the beautiful woman next to him, no matter what. He gave her a small smile as he said: "I work at the police department, remember? I'll help you. We'll get you out of this place, I promise."

_Note: Did you guys like it? And what direction do you think this story will take? I love hearing from you, so please let me know if you've got the time! x_


	5. You're My Butterfly

_Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I've been super busy with school, slowly starting to catch up on my stories again... Here's a new chapter, it's not that long but I hope you'll enjoy it! xx._

**Chapter 5: You're My Butterfly. **

It had been three days since Gil's last visit, and though his words had seemed to be very true, Catherine wasn't sure how much of those would actually become reality. She hadn't seen him since, and she really wondered if things were ever going to change. Thus far, she'd still been trying to stay away from the drugs. It was hard. She'd given in once, yesterday, after receiving a right hook from Eddie for taking a shot of tequila with a costumer. Things were even harder now.

Catherine tried to cover up the bruise around her eye, applying tons and tons of concealer, praying it would look good. She got interrupted when she heard yelling. Catherine tried not to pay attention, figuring it was a joke. But the voices became louder, more and more people started to yell, and Catherine decided to take a peek and see what was going on. Before she'd reached the door though, a cop entered her room. He looked at her before looking around her room briefly. "Catherine Flynn?"

She nodded, a little hesitant, as the man said: "Don't be scared. I'm Jim Brass, Las Vegas P. D. He walked into her room and closed her door. "Gil sent me. We have to be quick here. We've decided to do a check-up on this place, which means all of you have to come to the station, including you. You, however, are not gonna get back to this place. Grab some stuff, quick."

Catherine nodded, a rush of both adrenaline and excitement running through her veins. Gil had kept his promise. She grabbed her bag, throwing in some t-shirts, her make-up bag and a pair of jeans. Most of her personal belonging, luckily, were already in that bag. She grabbed her leather jacket and tried to fit it into the bag as well before Jim said: "Okay, we have to go."

Catherine tried not to be too excited; these kind of things were bad for Eddie and she knew he'd be pissed if he could sense there was something odd going on. She was relieved when she was pushed into another car, a car with one of the Russian girls that didn't even speak English. She was treated like everyone else, something she knew was the way things were supposed to be. It scared her though. She could only imagine what the Russian girl was feeling; she probably didn't have a clue of what was going on. The girl barely spoke English, and Catherine had to admit she'd probably been slightly scared herself had she not known what was going onn. Once they arrived at the police station, Catherine felt naked. Here she was, sitting in only her bra and shorts, probably judged by every single person that was passing her. She was relieved when she heard the cop named Jim call out her name, initially leading her to an interrogation room. He stopped in front of an office door however and said: "Grissom's in here. He'll explain everything to you, okay?" Catherine nodded and Jim knocked on the door before letting Catherine walk in, then closing the door after her.

"Catherine! You're okay?"

"Yeah, I just feel…. Naked."

Gil rushed over to her, handing her the jacket she'd put into her bag, which she greedily accepted. "Thanks. What… What happened to your eye?"

Catherine was surprised he actually noticed something as she thought she'd done a great job covering it. Apparently, not so much. She waved it off as she said: "Don't worry, it's fine." She was suddenly aware of the uncomfortable situation she was in; in the office, of a man who got her out of that club. A man she barely knew.

"Okay, Catherine… I… Just so you know, this is something that barely happens. Jim is a friend of mine and I'm happy he helped me to get you out and seek some control in that place. But you need to be careful now. You know you're in quite a dangerous state now, right?"

Catherine nodded, knowing if Eddie would ever find her, she'd be beaten up completely. It scared her. But her happiness of being out of that place was more important to her.

"Catherine, come, sit." She did as Gil told her before he continued talking. "So… I'm quite positive that Eddie will run if he finds out what happened in the club. What I need you to do, is to keep quiet for a bit. I know you don't have a place to stay, so, if it's okay with you, I suggest you'll stay with someone from our department until we can arrange something for you, perhaps get you back to school.."

Gil could tell Catherine's eyes lit up when he said that and he smiled. "You want to get back to college?"

"I'd love to."

"We can arrange that for you. You're okay with the other part as well?"

Catherine had a feeling he was nervous, and she thought it was sweet. "Yeah, no problem… I just… Who am I going to stay with?"

Gil nervously started picking his sweater, not sure of where to look. That was a good question. He obviously wanted her to stay with him, though he knew that would definitely cause some unwanted and probably uncomfortable moments. He would love having the strawberry blonde around though. He cleared his throat as he said: "Well, this all has kind of been an out of the blue operation, we're discussing everything right now."

A nervous look appeared on Catherine's face. Of course she was glad she would be able to stay with a police officer. But she knew there were police officers that had been visiting the Pussycat, and she was afraid Eddie would find her some way. Gil could tell there was something wrong. "Catherine… If there's something you want to ask, please do."

"I just… I don't really trust that many people.. I know there are people working for the law who visited the Pussycat as well. If Eddie wants to find me, I'm quite sure he will… I just… I know I'll feel safe if I can stay with you… But only if you're okay with that, of course," she quickly added. She didn't want to make Gil feel embarrassed, but she definitely wanted to stay with him instead of just another person. She trusted him. More than she'd ever trusted anyone in her life.

* * *

"You live here?" Catherine's excitement made Gil chuckle. After he'd of course told her it was fine if she came home with home, Jim had walked in with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, telling Catherine to change her clothing as he asked Gil to get out of his office. Jim had told him Eddie had indeed been able to run. Gil wasn't too worried about him finding out Catherine was with him though, but he knew they would have to be careful for a while.

"Well, yeah… For a couple of years now." He opened the door to his townhouse, a place not too big but very beautiful.

Catherine gazed at the lovely townhouse in awe, completely absorbed by the serene beauty she found inside. "This place is beautiful, Gil."

"Thank you." He closed the door behind him before making her way in front of Catherine, taking her inside. He started talking as soon as they got inside his living room, his back still facing her. "So, this is the living room. Obviously. Just… Just pretend you're home. Kitchen's right there, you can take whatever you like, if there's anything you need, please tell me."

When he turned around, he found Catherine staring at something on his walls, causing his slightly nervous face to break into a smile. One of his walls was covered with glass cabinets, filled with instigated butterflies.

Catherine had to admit she wasn't too fond of dead animals. Especially not dead animals within five miles of her. But those butterflies… They were gorgeous. She felt Gil's breath close to her as he said: "You like them?"

She smiled as she turned her head to the right, her face close to his as she said: "Yeah… This is beautiful. They're beautiful."

"I know. Did you know butterflies can determine on which plant they're sitting with their legs?"

Catherine smiled as she looked at Gil, enjoying the way he looked when he was talking about something he obviously had knowledge of; he looked so young, boyish and excited. "I know now."

As Gil decided it was time to take Catherine to her bedroom, Catherine chatted to him about her former pets. A cat named Liv, a dog named Ziggy… And about how she loved butterflies. He gave her the time to get adjusted to her room and get settled with the minimum amount of stuff she had as he decided to make her some food, making a mental note to take her out for some shopping soon. As he did so, he decided, from now on, Catherine was his butterfly. Not that he would ever tell her. But in his head, that would be her nickname. She was just as gorgeous as those beautiful creatures. And, just like most butterflies, a rare species that barely crossed paths with a person for longer than a few seconds. Gil was glad Catherine was sticking around thusfar.

Upstairs, Catherine was slightly overwhelmed. Things had suddenly gone very fast. And now she was here, inside the house of the sweet and slightly shy Gil Grissom. She was glad he'd decided to help her, and appreciated it very much. When she opened her bag and grabbed the stuff to place them in the room, she noticed a small, see-through bag with some white powder. A loud sigh escaped from her lips as she looked at it. Perhaps that little bag would be the biggest challenge of it all.

_Note: Liked it? Please let me know, I appreciate all your thoughts and messages very, very much! X._


	6. We're acting really tough like the world

_Note: Hi guys, remember me? I'm so sorry for being such a lousy writer lately, I'm just so freakin' busy, it's insane. I'm trying my best to update every once in a while, starting with a chapter for this story, which I have kind of abandonded for a while now. Building up to some new climaxes here so I hope it's not too boring or anything! x._

**Chapter 6: We're acting really tough like the world belongs to us.**

That fucking bitch. Eddie couldn't believe it. She was gone. He threw one of the glasses against the wall, and the things that were closest to his hands followed. Catherine was gone. Completely vanished. How the fuck was it possible that Catherine was taken by the police and hadn't returned? "Fuck!" One of the glasses broke before he had been able to throw it against the wall, giving him a cut in return.

He looked at the red blood for a minute, realizing he wasn't even sure of what to do now. Catherine usually fixed that stuff. He held his hand under the cold water, gritting his teeth as he did. Catherine wasn't gonna get away with this. She was his, his only. And he would get her back, no matter what.

Catherine looked at the price tags, knowing even the cheapest sweater was far above her budget. Gil could tell something was wrong with the woman next to him and said: "Catherine, what is wrong?"

She sighed. It was the sweetest thing ever that he had actually taken time off to help her get the 'usual' stuff a woman needs; underwear, some facial articles, clothes… But after buying not even half of the things she needed, the little amount of money she had been able to take with her from the Pussycat was gone. On top of that, were the itches she was getting and the unusual amount of sweating she had going on; she needed drugs.

"Gil… It's so sweet that you're taking me out shopping and trying to help me for college. But I don't have any money left. I can't pay for the cheapest sweater in this room, I can't pay any money for college… I… I…."

Her face told him she was slightly embarrassed and Gil could almost curse himself; of course she barely had any money. "Catherine, I'm sorry… I really didn't think about that. What do you like?"

A question mark formed on her face. "Huh?"

"I mean, what clothes do you like? You need clothes… I'll buy them for you." Before Catherine could start protesting he added: "You can pay me back once you have the money. Just pick out something you like… Two pairs of jeans, some sweaters… We can't have you going out without any clothes."

The little remark almost made Catherine chuckle. "Gil… You really don't have to do this. You shouldn't feel obliged to take care of me, I know you're busy and it must be annoying to have me around…"

"Catherine.. I'm not saying this because I feel obliged. I'm saying this because I want to." His warm eyes and sweet smile almost made Catherine melt; the man was such a sweetheart. She smiled at him and, impulsively, threw her arms around his neck, thanking him with a big hug.

The contact startled Gil, but he didn't back away. She smelled so good and was so soft. He wasn't used to female contact like this, but had to admit that it didn't at all feel bad.

* * *

"Gil, it's me."

"Yeah I noticed. What are you calling for?"

A small smile formed on Jim's lips as he continued talking into his phone. "I was just wondering how things were going at your place. It's odd not having you in your office. Must be odd for you as well."

Gil was watching a documentary on insects that had been interesting for him, which had been a cue for Catherine to get up and take a shower, which was making he able to speak his thoughts out loud. Not that he was probably going to do so, but still. "It is, kind of. But it's good as well. Everything's fine here."

"How is she holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. She's worried about everything… She has no money, she's afraid she can't even get into college… It's sad. Such a smart woman… I just can't believe how life can play out for some people. I hope I'm able to help her…"

"You shouldn't make her your personal assignment Gil.. I know you want to help that girl but please , don't get into it too deep. I hate to say this, but how do you know you can trust her? She seemed nice, true. But you never know, Gil. You can't be her savior."

Perhaps Jim was right. Perhaps he shouldn't get as personal involved as he already was. He couldn't help it though; he was drawn to the woman like a mot was to a flame; he felt such an urge to help her. Jim's words were spinning around in his head; not trustworthy? He didn't believe that though. He felt like Catherine was perhaps the most trustworthy person he had met in a very long time.

The white powder was staring at her and she knew she would be giving in some time soon. She wanted to call out for Gil, make him help her to resist it. No voice was coming out of her mouth though. She let her finger slid on the plastic bag, caressing it softly. She shouldn't be taking this. But the itches were getting worse and worse, and so was the sweating. She'd just got out of the shower and she was already dripping wet. Things would get out of control soon.

* * *

Gil was wondering what was taking Catherine so long when he walked up the stairs, wondering what she had been doing the last hour. When he reached the room she was sleeping in, he heard music. Upbeat music. He knocked, twice, but didn't receive a reply, and decided to walk in. The moment he saw the redhead laying on the bed, he could tell she'd been doing something she shouldn't.

"Gil! Hey... You know, I was thinking… We should go out dancing tonight!"

She tried to sit up straight, hoping to deceive him into thinking she was just happy instead of high, but the look on his face told her he didn't buy it at all. "Catherine…. What did you do?"

He sat down next to her on the bed, gently holding her chin up as he examined her face. Gil already knew it was the cocaïne before looking. Gil could tell she was on the edge of crying regardless the happy face she was putting up as she said: "I'm sorry, Gil.. I just… I can't quit. It's so hard… I feel so fucked up without that stuff. I know I shouldn't use it… It's just so freakin' hard.

Gil sighed, looking at the now hopeless woman in front of her. He knew he was going to help her. He also knew that was going to be one hell of a job, and if he was honest to himself, he wasn't sure if he was actually able to do so.

* * *

Jim Brass was on his way home when he saw a man talking to the receptionist that looked familiar. He stood still and watched, and even more important, listened to the words the man was saying.

"What the fuck is so hard to understand about this? My girlfriend is missing!"

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't help you. You can come back tomorrow once you're sober." The blonde receptionist didn't seem to be the least impressed with the screaming man in front of her, but was startled when his fists hit her desk.

"I'm fucking serious, lady! She's fucking gone and I want her back…"

Suddenly, Jim realized who that man was. The man yelling for his girlfriend was most definitely Eddie Willows, the man that was running the Pussycat. Jim knew they weren't gonna get rid of the man very easily; Catherine was going to have a hard time getting away from him.


End file.
